This invention is related to systems for collecting solar energy from the sun and more particularly to a system for collecting solar energy which uses a heat pipe to transfer the heat collected to a heat storage system.
There are many collector designs for receiving the energy from the sun and using it to heat a building. However, most of these designs prove to be quite impractical because of the costs involved in manufacturing such a system, inefficiency caused by heat losses, and the problems with retrofitting an existing building with solar energy collectors at a price which makes it economically attractive. Another problem with most collectors, is that the appearance of the collectors on the roof detracts from the beauty of the building and is usually not very aesthetically appealing.
Most flat plate collector designs range from having at one heat absorbing surface and a transparent cover to many heat absorbing layers with fluid spreaders and several covers. While some of these designs work very efficiently, they can be quite intricate and expensive to manufacture and usually require an auxiliary means for storing the heat collected, such as a large pebble bed or large water tank. Because of the weight of such storage systems, they must be located in the basement or garage, which often results in lengthy flow paths for the working fluid, thereby increasing costs and reducing efficiency.